Pink-footed Shearwater

Taxobox
name = Pink-footed Shearwater
status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Procellariiformes
familia =Procellariidae
genus = "Puffinus"
species = "P. creatopus"
binomial = "Puffinus creatopus"
binomial_authority = Coues, 1864

The Pink-footed Shearwater ("Puffinus creatopus") is a species of seabird. The bird is 48 cm in size, with a 109 cm wingspan. It is polymorphic, having both darker and lighter phase populations. Together with the equally light-billed Flesh-footed Shearwater, it forms the "Hemipuffinus" group, a superspecies which may or may not have an Atlantic relative in the Great Shearwater (Austin, 1996; Austin "et al", 2004). These are large shearwaters which are among those that could be separated in the genus "Ardenna" (Penhallurick & Wink, 2004).

This species is pelagic, occurring in the Pacific Ocean. It predominantly nests on offshore islands off Chile, i.e. Mocha Island. It is a transequatorial migrant, moving toward subarctic waters of the Pacific after raising it's young. It is fairly common well off the west coast of the United States during the country's warmer months.

Pink-footed Shearwater feeds on mainly fish, squid and crustaceans.

This bird nests in burrows, preferring forested slopes. It is a colonial nester.

Numbers of this shearwater are have been reduced due to predation by introduced species, such as rats and cats. Some loss of birds also occurs from becoming entangled in fishing gear.

References

* Austin, Jeremy J. (1996): Molecular Phylogenetics of "Puffinus" Shearwaters: Preliminary Evidence from Mitochondrial Cytochrome "b" Gene Sequences. "Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution" 6(1): 77–88. DOI|10.1006/mpev.1996.0060 (HTML abstract)

* Austin, Jeremy J.; Bretagnolle, Vincent & Pasquet, Eric (2004): A global molecular phylogeny of the small "Puffinus" shearwaters and implications for systematics of the Little-Audubon's Shearwater complex. "Auk" 121(3): 847–864. DOI: 10.1642/0004-8038(2004)121 [0847:AGMPOT] 2.0.CO;2 [http://www.bioone.org/perlserv/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1642%2F0004-8038%282004%29121%5B0847%3AAGMPOT%5D2.0.CO%3B2 HTML abstract]

* Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of vulnerable,and the criteria used

* Carboneras, Carles (1992): 54. Pink-footed Shearwater. "In": del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (editors): "Handbook of Birds of the World, Volume 1: Ostrich to Ducks": 253, Plate 16. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-10-5

* Harrison, Peter (1991): "Seabirds: An Identification Guide". Houghton Mifflin.

* National Geographic Society (2002): "Field Guide to the Birds of North America". National Geographic, Washington DC. ISBN 0-7922-6877-6

* Penhallurick, John & Wink, Michael (2004): Analysis of the taxonomy and nomenclature of the Procellariformes based on complete nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome "b" gene. "Emu" 104(2): 125-147. DOI|10.1071/MU01060 (HTML abstract)

External links

* [http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/search/species_search.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3931&m=0 BirdLife Species Factsheet.]